Clarissa Morgenstern
by JMunners
Summary: Clarissa Morgenstern is one of the most skilled Shadowhunters you will ever meet. She is, after all, the daughter of Valentine Morgenstern. In her life's mission to end her father she finds Jace, who needs to be taught who he truly is. - All characters and storyboarding owned by Cassandra Clare. This is The Mortal Instruments with Clary as a far more action packed character.
1. Club Pandemonium

"He just went through the door," Clary could barely hear Simon's voice over the pounding music of Pandemonium. "Blue hair, green eyes and a red jacket. You can't miss him."

Clary quickly scanned the crowd. "Got him, I'll see you later."

She hung up the phone and sipped her drink, never taking her eyes off the seemingly harmless boy who had just entered the club. The dagger in his hands would look fake to everyone else in the room, but Clary knew differently.

He was in there for less than five minutes when he'd decided on his victim. Clary studied the girl in white and watched her lure him into the storage room. It was only seconds before two boys followed as well, both dressed in black.

_Shadowhunters, they never learn when a Downworlder can be more useful than disposable._ She headed towards the door, unhurried, careful not to attract attention and slipped through the door.

The blue haired boy was tied up on the floor, "I know where Valentine is."

"Do you now?" Clary moved towards the group of people with no sign of discomfort. She eyed the various weapons held by the three Shadowhunters and felt her lips twitch up in amusement. "Whilst I do like to see my kin at work, I'd rather you didn't kill my snitch before I get the information I need. Or indeed after as he is under my protection whilst I still have use for him."

The three Shadowhunters stared at her with shock and disbelief whereas the boy on the floor looked at her with mostly concealed relief.

"If you are a Shadowhunter yourself," said the boy the golden blonde hair and topaz eyes. "Then where are your marks?"

Clary smiled and the boy on the floor laughed. "So it is true, daughter of Valentine? You can create and use runes with an extraordinary amount of power, yet one has never touched your skin?"

"You do seem to get your information at a reliable place." Clary replied to the boy and sat next to him.

The three Shadowhunters said nothing but watched her with shock as she quickly cut the boy free of his bonds and sat opposite him as if he were a friend whom she knew well.

"What news of my father do you have for me, vampire?" Her voice was slightly amused but business like.

"He's built a small army of forsaken and is moving quickly. He has recruited some of his old followers already and is currently bent on finding the Mortal Cup."

"So he'll be after my mother. Anything else?"

He shook his head, "I start asking for details, questions are asked about why I want to know."

"I suppose. You can go, get any new information and you can send a message the usual way."

The vampire scrambled to his feet and headed for the door but the three Shadowhunters blocked his way. He turned towards Clary who had also gotten to her feet.

"Let him go," Her voice was calm and oozed authority. "He may be a sleazy vampire, but his allegiance is in the right place."

"And how would you know that?" Asked the golden boy.

"Because he's working against Valentine," She replied without hesitation.

"Valentine is dead," He hissed.

She walked forward and linked her arm through the vampires and walked him past the confused Shadowhunters. As she left the room she could feel them watching her and called over her shoulder, "Sure, Jace. Go tell that to the man who raised you for ten years."


	2. Life's Lies

"I can't believe she just walked in like that!" Isabelle ranted. "Who does she think she is?"

"Valentine's daughter, apparently," Jace said with an exasperated sigh.

"Valentine never had a daughter, only a son." Alec reminded them.

Jace looked up at the Institute, glad to be back. His mind was racing with questions about the mysterious girl who knew his name. There was something familiar about her yet he was sure he'd never met her.

"We need to find her," he voiced the thought that had been prodding at his mind since she had spoken his name. Alec and Isabelle looked at him with disbelief.

"Why would you want that?" Alec was watching Jace with mild worry as they all stepped inside the elevator.

"She knew my name," He replied.

"That proves nothing. She could be some weird stalker with a crush on you for all we know." Isabelle huffed. There was something in her voice that Jace couldn't quite identify.

"I've had those before," he said shaking his head. "She is something very new."

Both Isabelle and Alec rolled their eyes at that but Alec more amused than annoyed. Church was waiting for them at the elevator doors. He didn't wait for his usual scratch but headed off in the direction of the library and looked back at them as if to say _Well, are you coming or not?_

Stepping out of the elevator, with Alec and Isabelle on either side of him, he headed for the library. He could hear voices, one was Hodge, his tutor and the other was the voice of the girl he'd been itching to find only moments ago. Quickening his pace he walked into the library and saw the girl with fiery red hair and incredible green eyes.

Hodge rose from his seat and smiled at his students. "Jace, Alec, Isabelle, I wasn't expecting you home so soon."

The girl hadn't moved from her seat nor had she even glanced in their direction, she just stared at the fire.

"What's _she_ doing here?" Isabelle was never one to forget her manners.

The girl smirked, "_She _is waiting for _him._" She looked at Jace.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" He needed answers.

The girl had a superior smirk on her face as she leaned back into the chair with her arms folded across her chest. Jace took the moment to take in her overall appearance. Short, black dress that showed plenty of skin and fit her curves snuggly. He noticed there were no scars or runes on her, just like the vampire had said.

"Come now, I'm sure you can think of a few more interesting questions than that?" She teased.

"I should think he'll have a great many more questions when you're finished with him." Hodge sounded tired. "Isabelle, Alec if you wouldn't mind coming with me."

"What?" The two of them spoke together and stuck their ground.

Hodge was about to say something when the girl spoke for him.

"There will be a time when you come to know the things I'm going to tell Jace. Those things you are told will be from Jace himself seeing as they are his things to tell. Given that this is the case, I think it should be him that hears them first."

"How can they be his to tell if he doesn't already know them?" Alec didn't sound convinced.

"He has been told a version of it, but it has not been told in a way that involves him, therefore it will have mostly have been lies. But, of course, this is the version most people have heard. Only a select few know the truth and it is for Jace to decide later if you should know." She was incredibly calm.

"It's okay, I'll talk to you later," Jace assured them.

Neither of them moved until Hodge started to herd them out of the room and Jace made no objections. Isabelle was staring at the girl with a look that could kill whilst Alec only watched Jace with concern and a little hurt. When he heard the doors close and he was left alone with the girl he realised that their gazes had been locked on each other for the entire encounter.

She gestured to the seat opposite and he sat.

"My name is Clarissa Morgenstern but my friends call me Clary."

"You won't mind if I don't call you that, then?" He wasn't usually this rude, but the girls smile only widened.

"For me to answer your second question I'm going to have to do a rather lot of explaining, seeing as you yourself don't actually know your name."

"My name is Jace Wayland or Lightwood, take your pick."

She nodded and proceeded to take a piece of paper out of the bag placed on the table between them. She placed the paper down in front of him and spoke with amusement in her eyes.

"Who is this man?"

Jace glanced down at the photo in front of him and met her eyes again just as quickly.

"I've never seen him before." He wasn't lying.

"_That_ is Michael Wayland only a few weeks before he died seventeen years ago," She placed another photo on the table. "I believe that is the man who raised you whilst claiming to be Michael Wayland?"

Jace would've known that face anywhere, it was his father.

"What do you mean he was claiming to be Michael Wayland?"

"This is a photo of Valentine Morgenstern, my father." She added with a small hesitation.

"That's impossible, his bones and that of his sons were found in the ashes of his house."

"The bones found there were indeed those of my grandparents but not Valentine and my brother. Those were the bones of Michael Wayland and his son. When my mother found the ashes she fled, pregnant with me them time. Valentine had fled and taken Wayland's manor and identity."

"If Michael Wayland's dead son was found in the ashes then how am I here?" He was surprised his voice wasn't shaking. He wanted to scream at this girl that he knew who his father was and who he was. But there had always been one small voice in the back of his head questioning it all. This girl spoke so surely and for some unknown reason, he believed her.

"Because you are not Michael Wayland's son," she looked sympathetic; as if she knew how hard it was for him to take all of what she was saying in. "You're the son of Stephen and Celine Herondale. I assume you know their story?"

He nodded.

"Your mother was dead and you would have been too if my father hadn't cut you out of her womb. My father wanted a soldier, his experiments on my brother hadn't left him with what he needed but he hoped he could find that soldier in you instead. Something must've gone wrong else you'd still be with him now."

He took a minute to process this, everything she had said was alien, but it also sounded like something the Valentine he'd heard of would do.

"Where are you going?" She'd started to stand and looked like she intended to leave.

"I've given you enough information for this evening. Given how my father raised you, the information won't make you want to curl up in a ball and cry but you've got enough to think about for now. I'll be staying here for a little while, I need some information and I'm going to need your help to get it. Tomorrow is a new day, you can ask me your questions then."

He nodded and bid her goodnight before rushing back to his room and locking it. He needed to be alone. Why did he trust her? If Clarissa truly was Valentine's daughter then she wasn't to be trusted. But she seemed to know more about him than he did and he was curious, but not just about what the girl had to tell him. She had an effect on him that no other person ever had before.

She reminded him of the man he'd thought was his father. He just wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. . .


	3. A Dangerous Daughter

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET HER NEAR THE BOY!" Valentine was outraged.

How many times did he have to tell Hodge that the boy was dangerous, especially if recruited by his daughter?

"The girl simply turned up here," Hodge avoided Valentine's glare. "She demanded to see the boy and said that if she didn't see him now she'd only find him later. I thought it would be best if I kept them in my sights."

"Fool," Valentine could feel a slight panic rising within him. "You think she will not see through your act? She will take him well away from you before she tells him anything of interest to us!"

"Not if I can persuade the boy otherwise."

"Persuade him of what exactly?"

"The boy has built trust in me over the years and he still loves you as his father. I can persuade him not to trust her. Make him think she is his enemy."

Valentine thought this over, Hodge often proved useful in planning, but deliverance was another thing. The boy would still have trust in his tutor and father but he knew how his daughter had training far beyond normal Shadowhunters. If the two of them began to work together, it could cause a lot of trouble.

"Look, I don't care how you do it. Just keep him _in_ the building. She may tell him something tomorrow but that's as long as I want him near her. I'll arrange a portal for tomorrow at midnight and I want him ready to come through." Valentine knew any time spent the boy and his daughter spent together would cause more trouble for himself. He also knew that his daughter would want to take him as far from Hodge and the Institute as possible.

"If I do so," Hodge's eyes were filled with hope. "Will you remove the curse put upon me?"

Valentine knew it was the only way to get him to do as asked. If he said no, Hodge would only help Clarissa.

"You have failed to get me the Cup, Hodge. But if you succeed in getting the boy to me, yes I will rid you of the curse. You've already failed me once, Hodge. _Do not _disappoint me!"

* * *

_He looked up at his father and pushed back at the tears. The falcon lay dad, it's neck snapped, at his father's feet. "To love is to destroy and to be loved is to the one destroyed."_

He woke with a start, a hand covering his mouth. His training kicked in automatically and he twisted the owner's wrist away from their body. He quickly had the arm in a lock, if the attacker moved, their arm would snap like a twig. But that was the confusing part, they didn't struggle. He realised a little late that the hand over his mouth had been more gentle than threatening.

"Not bad," Clarissa sounded amused.

"You're awfully calm for someone who could have a broken arm with a simple flick of my wrist." His face was incredibly close to hers, almost touching. "What are you doing in here?"

He loosened his grip and was surprised when she didn't move away.

"Pack your bags, we're leaving." With that she turned and started towards the door.

"What? Why?" He may have only just woken up, but that wasn't going to make him vulnerable.

"Because Hodge can't be trusted and by now my father will know I'm here." There was no fear in her voice, but it was clear she wanted well away from the Institute.

It started to dawn on him how much danger Clarissa was really in by being here. He hadn't really noticed how small she was and she had made herself vulnerable in order to get him. Whatever it was she needed from him, she was willing to put herself in a lot of danger to get it.

"I'm sensing more danger for you than me in this situation." Was he really feeling the need to protect this girl? The way she acted made it clearly noticeable that she didn't need protecting.

"I've been in worse," her expression suggested she wasn't lying. "Meet me by the elevator in ten minutes."

He was ready in five, so sat waiting for another five. What was he doing? Sneaking off in the middle of the night with the daughter of an enemy of the Clave was a stupid thing to do. So why did he want to do it so badly?

He met her at the elevator in perfect timing. Neither of them said a word and as they turned to the elevator the silence was interrupted.

"And where do you think the two of you are going?" Isabelle's voice was only just covering her anger.

Jace turned to look at his adoptive brother and sister whilst Clarissa simply crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall. Jace was surprised to see his sibling each had a bag with them.

"We could ask you the same question." Clarissa's voice was icy.

"Anywhere he goes," Alec nodded in Jace's direction. "We go."

"How sweet," There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Alec, Izz go back to bed," Jace couldn't fathom why he didn't want them involved.

"Only if you tell us where you're going," Alec, as always knew how to trap him.

When Jace didn't reply a superior smile set on Isabelle's face.

"That's just it isn't it?" She sneered at Clarissa. "Don't tell him where you're taking him so no-one can find him!"

"That, sweetheart, is how protection works," Clarissa didn't even flinch when Isabelle set her with a glare that would send most Shadowhunters running. Jace felt a pang of respect for the daughter of Valentine.

"Did you just call me sweet-"

"Fine the two of you can come as long as you don't get in the way of my work. You take my orders when given them and you won't argue."

"And why should we do that?" Isabelle wasn't fond of orders.

Jace knew what Clarissa was going to say and knew it would hold more power coming from his lips. They were, after all, his siblings, they trusted him. So when Clarissa opened her mouth to reply, her words came from his mouth instead.

"Because, from here on out, your life depends on it."


	4. A Formal Meeting With Abbadon

"So where, exactly, are we going?" Isabelle asked for the umpteenth time.

Clarissa sighed and repeated herself, "You'll see when we get there."

"You're no fun, you know that?"

"I never claimed to be," Clarissa was starting to regret allowing the Lightwood siblings to accompany Jace.

The group followed her mostly in silence, Jace and Alec bringing up the rear whilst Isabelle walked beside her. She could hear Alec talking to Jace in harsh whispers: _How do you know we can trust her? What has she said to you? You're insane! We could be walking straight into a trap!_

She led them through endless alleys and passageways. A normal mundane would have had to rest several times but not one of the young Shadowhunters had complained. Considering it was their city, Clarissa was amused that they hadn't noticed the route she was taking. She'd doubled back, gone in circles and not one of them had even questioned her. Taking the path was necessary, she couldn't have them find their way back to Base and there was no way she could allow them to memorise the route. She led them to a dark alleyway that provided as the entrance to Base.

"Are you sure," Alec had stopped and was gesturing at the alleyway that was blocked off by a sheer wall. "That this is the right place?"

"Yes," Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, "I brought you to a secluded alley so that I could kill you quie-"

A sudden drop in temperature and overwhelming feeling of dread filled the alley. She stood patiently, waiting to see who was paying her a visit so close to home, whilst the three Shadowhunters around her drew seraph blades and whispered their names. The blades gave a faint glow to the alley and allowed the group to see what now stood blocking the alleyway entrance.

"Abbadon," Jace's whisper held slight shock.

The Greater Demon moved towards them, Clarissa noticed, in a friendly nature. She had to remind herself that these three Shadowhunters hadn't had experiences with Greater Demons before and was about to reassure them of their safety, but their battle instincts had already kicked in.

Alec threw his blade and hit the demon square in what would have been his chest whilst Isabelle and Jace ran towards it. Knowing the Shadowhunter's strategy well, she sent a quick mental message to the demon.

Receiving Clarissa's advice, the demon simply watched as Isabelle prepared to drive a blade into his thigh and Jace leaped upwards to bring his blade down upon him. The two blades would have stabbed the demon at exactly the same time had it not been that the demon now used Clarissa's advice. The demon suddenly kicked out at Isabelle and flung his arm out at Jace, causing them both to fly backwards and crash into Alec.

Clarissa laughed and ran forwards, using the wall for leverage, she spun at a horizontal angle over the tangled Shadowhunters and landed lightly between them and the demon. She knew her eyes would now have changed from the usual emerald green to a jet black.

"That's enough Abbadon," Clarissa's voice was still her own, but there was a new element of authority to it. "You've had your fun."

"I wouldn't call being attacked fun," Abbadon spoke with false innocence.

She could feel the three Shadowhunters watching them; she would have to explain later.

"Forgive them, they don't know the methods of how I work yet."

"Well tell them soon," He looked at the Shadowhunters, "I would so hate for them to accidentally harm on of my brothers."

"It would do you great amusement if they were to harm one of your brothers," She snapped. "Now, what do you want?"

He looked back at her and reached, he was holding a card, part of a deck. Clarissa took it from him and recognised it as part of the deck her mother had painted for Madame Dorothea. She felt a sudden need to assure herself of her old neighbour's safety.

"If you so much as harmed a hair on her head, Abbadon," Her voice was fierce enough that she didn't need to finish her threat.

Abbadon noticeably cringed backwards but answered her once he'd regained his composure.

"I thought it would be beneficial to erase any memories she had of you and your mother."

Clarissa was taken aback. She had asked, or rather she had ordered, for Abbadon to get her the card and destroy the rest of the deck. He was right in thinking it would protect herself, her mother and Madame Dorothea. But why had he done it?

"I have no wish to bend to your father's will. I will help in any way I can to prevent him from achieving his goals." Abbadon had sensed her unspoken question.

"Then we're on the same page," The corner of Clarissa's mouth twitched.

She turned her back on Abbadon and saw the three Shadowhunters watching her with disbelief plain on their faces. She looked back over her shoulder at Abbadon, realising that he was waiting for her permission to leave.

"You can go now, Abbadon."

She watched as Abbadon folded in on himself, returning to his dimension. She looked back at the Shadowhunters and felt her eyes return back to their natural green.

Jace was the first to recover, "You have _a lot_ of explaining to do!"


	5. An Angelic Assassin

Clarissa turned to the wall at the end of the alley and began to draw a rune with her finger. Any normal Shadowhunter would have had to use a stele, but she was long past being a normal Shadowhunter. The stunned silence from the Lightwoods confirmed that they had now also come to that conclusion.

The rune burned into the bricks, it was a rune she had created herself. She couldn't really put a name to it; that was the beauty of it. It was a sort of password that allowed you to enter Base, the fact that it was new and there was no way to describe it made it easier to keep a secret. The bricks began to writhe in the wall and fold back to form an arch. She beckoned for the three Shadowhunters to follow her and entered Base.

"What is this place?" Alec still looked suspicious.

"Base," She replied simply.

She could hear the bricks shifting back into their normal wall form as she led them down the corridor to the lobby. The room was large and had a set of stairs going up to a balcony with corridors leading off. It was designed rather like the Institute, but more serious and yet still homey.

"I was wondering when you'd be back," Simon was lounging on one of the sofa's set near the fireplace.

He got up and embraced Clarissa then placed her at arm's length and looked her up and down. She pushed his arms away.

"I'm fine," She assured. "Not a scratch." She turned back to the Lightwoods, "This is Simon. He'll be helping with some of the stuff we need to do." At this, she turned back to Simon and lowered her voice slightly. "Can you show them around for me? I've got some things I need to do."

Simon looked at her sceptically and then nodded, "Sure, Clary."

They'd had these situations a lot in the past few days, tense moments. So she did something that always managed to make the two of them laugh. She gave Simon her cheesiest grin and Simon returned it with his, fangs and all. She laughed, knowing the Lightwoods were watching them like they were mad. But then again, they kind of were.

* * *

Jace watched Clarissa walk swiftly away and the turned to the vampire. Hadn't she said his name was Simon? He noticed that Simon was also staring after Clarissa, as if he sensed something was wrong. He would be correct.

"So," Simon turned to them. "I'm Simon; I'll be giving you a quick tour. Don't wander off and don't ask me what's going on because I don't even know the half of it."

"Why not?" Jace was wondering why someone Clarissa supposedly trusted didn't know her plans.

"Clary," Simon sighed. "Believes that the more someone knows, the more danger they're in. She'll only tell the people directly involved in whatever she's planning."

"So where, exactly, do I come into that equation?"

"I guess we'll find out sooner or later," Simon spun on his heel. "Come on, you'll only be getting the one tour and then you can do whatever the hell it is you do, other than try to kill me."

"Not sure I can promise that," Jace muttered under his breath.

"Heard that!" Simon called from down the corridor.

Alec and Isabelle were looking at Jace; he shrugged and followed the vampire.

The tour didn't take long, the place was a lot like the Institute except for one long corridor that Simon suggested they didn't venture down. He said something about not being able to forget some things you saw, Jace made a mental note to check it out later. He showed them to a room each and left them to get settled in, Jace last. He dumped his bag at the foot of the bed and turned to the closing door.

"I need to talk to Clarissa."

The door stopped and Simon sighed, he gave Jace the directions to her room.

Seconds later he was standing outside her room, he knocked lightly. The knock wasn't loud enough to be heard, but at least he could say he had. Opening the door, he slipped inside the room and closed the door silently behind him.

The room was incredibly plain, rather like his. Realising this, he smiled. She was good. Any person coming into this bedroom would find nothing to tell them about the girl who lived in it. The door leading to her bathroom was open. Jace crept to the doorway and peered inside.

Her hands were gripping the granite either side of the basin and her head was down. She'd changed out of the black dress and into a pair of jeans. She hadn't put a top on yet and the lacy black bra she wore was the only thing keeping her near decent. But that wasn't what made Jace's breath catch. Covering the majority of her back was a tattoo of beautiful angel wings.

Hearing Jace's gasp, Clary looked at him in the mirror. A smile played on her lips.

"Shouldn't you have knocked?" She was teasing him.

"I did," He didn't know what else to say.

She smiled and a gasp of pain escaped her lips. Jace stepped towards her but she shook her head.

"Don't," She'd closed her eyes. "I'll be fine." A few seconds later she straightened up and shrugged on an oversized t-shirt. She turned and looked Jace over. "You should get that looked at."

He looked at his own reflection in the mirror and realised he had a cut on his temple. He started to reach for his stele but Clarissa had him by the hand and was dragging him back into her room.

"Don't bother," She said quietly. "I need to practise some healing methods."

"Healing methods?" Jace was unwilling to become a lab rat.

"There's not always a stele handy."

"You don't seem to _need_ one." He thought of her earlier, using her finger to draw a rune which he was sure didn't exist but, evidently, did.

She pushed him into a comfy chair and went to grab some things from the bathroom. He relaxed back into the chair and tried to collect his thoughts. Seeing Clarissa without a top on would have scrambled his thoughts any day. With all manner of questions on his mind, he decided he should try to get to know Clarissa.

She came out of the bathroom with a small basket. She put them down on the table and grabbed a wetted cloth. She threw it to him; he immediately started to clean the dried blood around his wound.

"Nice tattoo's," He remarked with a smirk. "Why did you choose angel wings?"

"I didn't choose them," She replied coolly.

She walked towards him and turned his head away so she could get a clear look at his wound. She pressed another cloth to the wound and a burst of pain followed. He jerked away. She rolled her eyes and moved with incredible speed. She was suddenly straddling him, pushing his body into the back of the chair with hers and turning his head away again.

"Sorry," She muttered. "I know it stings but, unlike an _iratze_, this scar you in any form. We wouldn't want to ruin that beautiful face now, would we?"

"It'll take a lot more than _that_ to ruin _this_." She laughed but kept working on his wound. He let his arms lightly ring around her tiny waist. "So what's with the tattoo's exactly?"

"Valentine kept the angel Ithuriel as a prisoner for a long time," She sighed. "I found him a few weeks ago, released him, you could say. He saw it as an act of mercy, especially as it was from the daughter of the man who had left him to rot. He talked to me for a little while, wanted to know what I was planning to do about my father. He looked at my memories; saw the things I'd already done. Next thing I know, his hand is on my cheek and there's a burning on my back. I look in the mirror later and find, well I don't know what they are. Tattoo's, marks, blessing, curse, whatever."

A curse? How could she possibly think it was a curse? Whatever the angel Ithuriel had seen, must have made him think she was worthy of being an angel, hence the marks.

"There," She announced. "Perfect once again, Mr Lightwood."

She leaned in slightly to kiss his wound at the same time he moved to look at her. Their lips met and they were kissing. Hesitant at first but there was a fire that burned wherever they touched. He pulled his arms tight around her, crushing her small body against is, her hands on his neck and chest.

A sudden knock at the door broke the kiss apart. They stared into each other's eyes for a split second and then she was off him and talking to Simon through a crack in the door.

Jace took a moment to calm his breathing. What the hell was he doing? They didn't even know each other, but that had never been a problem for him before. That was just it, though. She certainly knew a lot about him and there was a lot he wanted to find out about her.


	6. A War of the Bloods

What had she been thinking? She couldn't let herself get attached to him! Once her work was done she would be back to hiding from the Clave, that wasn't something she could expect him to do as well. She probably wouldn't even have to think about it. Once he found out more about her he'd never want anything to do with her again; that was a good thing. So why did she feel like a little piece of her died every time she thought about it?

She and Jace were walking a little behind Simon; they were heading towards the meeting room.

"What happened back there–"Jace's voice was low.

"Won't happen again," Her voice was cold but just as quiet. She hoped Simon would have the decency to try and ignore their conversation.

Jace glanced at her smirking, "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it."

"If I enjoyed it, I wouldn't be saying it wouldn't happen again." Did he have to be so arrogant whilst they were in such serious matters?

"Fine, but don't deny you didn't feel what was between us."

Her eyes, still firmly looking ahead, now glanced at Jace. So he had felt it too, the fire that came to life wherever their skin touched.

"To love is to destroy and to be loved is to be the one destroyed," she recited her father's words.

That struck a chord. Recognition and shock were plain on his face.

"Where did you-"

"Do you still doubt the man who raised you is my father?"

"I suppose not," He said. "What now?"

Instead of answering she walked ahead of Simon and pushed the great oak doors open.

* * *

Isabelle was still taking in the room when the Clarissa walked through the magnificent wooden doors, followed by Simon and then Jace. The room was grand and open, with pillars and a great many things on display. Books of incredible age, blades of fallen kings and those were amongst some of the least impressive things about the room. She and Alec were sitting at a grand round table; she wouldn't have been surprised to find if it was the great King Arthur's.

She wasted no time on greetings as the others seated themselves around the table.

"So," She put on her best superiority voice. "Who are you?"

Clarissa met her glare and sighed, "Clarissa Adele Morgenstern."

Isabelle laughed, "You don't expect us to believe that do you?"

"Iz," Jace's voice was quiet but she still jumped.

Her jaw dropped, "You haven't seriously let her fool you? Come on Jace!"

"Oh," There was a tint of amusement in Jace's voice. "She's Valentine's daughter alright. Her father raised me as his own, after all. There are many similarities between them."

"What do you mean," Alec's voice was cautious. "He raised you as if you were his own?"

Jace grimaced but it was Clarissa who spoke, "My father raised him when he was orphaned. Hoped to turn him into a soldier, didn't do a bad job of it either."

Isabelle turned on Clarissa and glared harder. She was made even angrier when Clarissa looked completely unimpressed at the look that would have most people run screaming.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Alec asked Jace, hurt clear in his expression.

"Don't blame him," Clarissa's voice was surprisingly gentle. "He didn't know."

Isabelle looked at Jace, "And what has she said to you that has convinced you it must be true?"

Jace smiled softly, "Sometimes a thing as simple as a photo can change everything you know."

"A photo? You're believing her because of a stupid photograph!"

Clarissa chose this moment to interrupt yet again, "Miss Lightwood, have you any idea what my father looks like? If he were to be on the other side of the street, would you know it was him?"

When Isabelle didn't answer Clarissa smiled. Alec placed his hand on Isabelle's shoulder and she decided not to carry on further with the subject. Clarissa had got her.

"So what was that back in the alley?" She wasn't ready to back off Clarissa yet. No-one got a hold over Isabelle Lightwood without an injury to show for it.

"What was what?" It was the first time Simon had spoken. He was looking questioningly at Clarissa and Isabelle noticed that he was really quite attractive. Not hot, but a strange, nerdy kind of handsome.

"Abbadon paid a visit," She said simply, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. She met his eyes and an agreement passed silently between them. Isabelle realised the two of them must have know each other a long time; she had only ever seen those looks between her family.

"Abbadon doesn't just _pay visits_," Isabelle spat. "Nor does a Greater Demon wait to be excused! What makes you so high and mighty?"

"That would be the influence of Lilith's blood running through my veins."

Whatever Isabelle had been expecting Clarissa Morgenstern to say, it had not been that.


	7. Only an Experiment

There was complete shocked silence; you could have heard a pin drop. This seemed to last forever and Jace imagined he could hear his stomach twisting. He'd known Clarissa hadn't told him the whole truth, but this was something big. Was it even possible? Was she lying to him earlier about the Angel's blood?

"Someone needs to say something," Simon interrupted the silence. "Before we all die of old age."

Clarissa arched an eyebrow at him.

"Or you lot will," Simon corrected himself with a smile twitching at his lips.

Jace couldn't speak if he'd wanted to. He was filled with mixed feelings of disgust, confusion and disappointment.

Alec spoke quietly, "Lilith's blood?"

Clarissa nodded slowly, her eyes on the table.

"How?" Isabelle couldn't contain her curiosity.

"My father was a very," Clarissa paused. "_Ambitious _man. He was hell bent on making the perfect warrior and used my brother as a test subject. He injected my mother with Lilith's blood when she was pregnant with him; it turned him into a monster but a damn good warrior. If it worked for him, why not for me?" She shrugged.

"But you're not exactly a monster," Alec sounded very calm. "I mean, you look normal enough."

Clarissa laughed, "Thanks for the compliment!"

Alec opened his mouth but Clarissa waved away the comment, she knew what he had meant.

"My brother looked normal enough too," The laughter was gone from her voice now. "I guess you could say it was his soul that was ruined, if you believe in that kind of stuff."

Simon snorted, "Living in the world we do, it doesn't matter if we believe in something or not. It's probably there and terrifying."

Clarissa grinned.

"Weren't you afraid that you'd get changed into something like him?" Isabelle asked.

Clarissa pondered for a moment, "I suppose. I liked to remind myself that my brother never knew any better. He was born how he was and there was nothing he could do to change that. I had the knowledge of what I was doing and how it may change me. I'd lived as myself and was surrounded by those who would do as necessary if I started to . . . change."

"Necessary?" Jace's voice was weak. He'd noticed that Simon had become rather pale, even for a vampire.

Clarissa finally met Jace's eyes and he could see something in them. A pleading? An apology?

"One Shadowhunter with the blood of Lilith is enough for this world." Her voice was quiet.

"What is it that makes you so different from your brother?" Isabelle's anger had risen again. Her knuckles were white on the large round table.

Jace recognised the tone in her voice and knew she was looking for a hold on something she could use against Clarissa for the little humiliation earlier. He felt an urge to protect Clarissa, though he knew that she certainly didn't need protecting.

"The Angel's blood," Jace's voice was still quiet, but Alec, Isabelle and Simon looked at him in shock.

Clarissa hadn't taken her eyes off his but now looked back at Isabelle and Alec to explain.

"Jace and I," Her voice was factual, no emotion. "Were also experiments to my father." The siblings looked at Jace with worry, "Don't worry, my father could see as well as anyone else his mistake. He gave Jace and I Angel's blood, Ithuriel's to be exact. A different experiment he hoped would work."

"What happened to your brother?" I felt a need to know what had happened to the true son of Valentine.

"He's still with my father," She sighed. "Still being trained as a soldier."

"Like he used to train me?"

She nodded.

"Do you know why he -" Jace couldn't find a way to finish the question which he wanted so many answers from. Why did the man who had raised him as his father fake his death? Why had he wanted to send him away? Had he not been a good enough soldier?

"Compared to my brother you would have seemed soft," Clarissa sighed. "Be grateful he sent you away; you're better off this way."

"How would you know?" He could hear the coldness in his own voice.

"If you were still with him, you'd only know a life of loyalty to Valentine."

"So what exactly was it with you? He wanted soldiers for sons to protect his precious little daughter?" He spat.

Clarissa wasn't fazed, "I doubt my father even knew I existed until a few months ago. My mother fled when she was pregnant with me after he faked his first death. He trained both you and my brother equally, but I'm still not sure why he sent you away. But I do know that he never got the perfect soldier he wanted in either of you. He needed something between the two of you, a mix of the two. Who better to be that experiment than his own daughter?"

"The blood of a Greater Demon and an Angel together, the ultimate weapon," Simon said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You think this is funny!" My voice was shaking.

"A little," Simon sighed. "Valentine trained two male warriors and neither of them were what he wanted. Then you get his daughter who has never even met him and yet has done the experiment he didn't get a chance to try with complete success."

"Girl power," Clarissa smiled.

Isabelle so clearly filled with hatred for this girl laughed at that, "You go, sister!"

That was it. He stood abruptly and stormed out of the door. Everything he knew about his life had just been completely turned around and they were laughing! He didn't care what kind of bond was between all women, even those who clearly didn't get along. This wasn't a time to be laughing at the irony of this horrible situation.

"Jace!" He heard Alec's voice behind him, but kept walking.

He could hear Alec's footsteps following him and he didn't care, all he wanted to do was get away from that stupid room. He walked quickly, not wasting a step, though he had no clue where he was going.

* * *

Alec quickly followed Jace through the doorway; not wanting to lose him. Jace was standing as still as a statue in the middle of the room, facing Alec. Alec shut the door behind him and walked towards Jace, stopping only a few feet away from him.

Alec wanted to reach out and hold Jace, but he could see by the look on his face that he needed space.

"What do I do?" Jace asked.

"What do you want to do?" Alec replied. "You'll just end up doing it anyway."

Jace smiled, looking at the floor, "I don't know."

Alec waited for Jace to talk. Jace would talk when he wanted to, you could never pry anything out of him.

"I don't know if I should believe her or anything she says," Jace admitted.

"Do you think she's telling you the truth?" Alec asked. He didn't know what to think, he'd only been given parts of the story. He only knew that, whatever Jace decided, he would stand by him as he always had.

"Maybe, why would she make something like this up?" Jace demanded.

"She seems to have gone through hell of a lot to find you," Alec was thinking aloud. "She needs you for something that obviously involves finally defeating Valentine."

"But how did she know about me?" Jace asked. "How did she know where to find me? What to say to me? How does she even know that I can help her?"

Alec pursed his lips, these were questions Clarissa herself would have the answers to, not him.

He sighed and finally took notice of the room he was in. The room was vast with white walls and various notes and photos stuck to them. He glanced in one corner and took a sharp intake of breath.

"Jace . . ." He didn't have to say anymore.

Jace followed Alec's gaze and saw what Alec was seeing; various sketches of Jace. Some hastily done, some taken their time with, but all certainly of Jace. He subconsciously noticed how beautiful they all were, and admired that artist behind them.

"I kept having these constant dreams with one particular face in them." Clarissa's voice alerted Alec and Jace to her presence.

She was standing with her back against the closed door; they hadn't even heard her come in.

"As to why," She shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."


	8. Is There Something I Can Do For You?

"So," Isabelle sighed. "What exactly is it you do around here?" Simon arched an eyebrow and Isabelle shrugged. "I mean, you can't be much use, not being able to go in sunlight and all."

Simon chuckled; he concluded that talking would be better than the series of tapping and other annoying noise fillers she'd decided to try since everyone had left.

"I guess you could call me the tech guy," He shrugged

Simon had known that the three Shadowhunters had seen he was a vampire, but he hadn't expected them to be so quiet about it. He figured they'd get round to it once Clary was gone and lo and behold, here were said questions!

"How long have you been a vampire?" Isabelle questioned.

Simon shrugged, "A few months."

Her brows furrowed, "That's all?"

He nodded.

She didn't speak again and seemed to be waiting for him to explain.

"There was an," Simon paused. "Incident. . ."

"What kind of incident?" She sounded genuinely curious.

Yes Simon, what kind of incident? He mentally kicked himself. Simon knew all too well how the true version of events would sound; clingy, pathetic and insane. But that wasn't how he and Clary saw it. Simon also knew of the Shadowhunters laws and how much trouble his transformation could cause some people. He decided to go with the version of events that Clary had told him to stick to.

"One night when I was still human," He kept his voice even. "I followed Clary. She'd been distracted lately with all her Shadowhunter work, of course, I didn't know that then. A fight broke out and I was attacked. Luckily for me, Clary was fighting _with_ vampires that night and she decided to keep me around."

Clary and Simon had agreed on the cover story soon after his change. Raphael was the only person other than Clary and himself to know the truth. They'd kept elements of truth, as there were in all great lies, but the majority was fiction. The story, potentially, could still get Clary in trouble with the Clave. But, as she said: "It's just another brick in the wall." True, it would be a minor thing in the catastrophe of her life trying to stick to the laws. He didn't understand why they couldn't tell people the truth, but he supposed Clary had her reasons.

"I wouldn't call that lucky," Isabelle frowned.

"I got to finally understand what was happening to my best friend. Now I can be a part of it too."

"But you didn't choose to become a vampire! She had no right to do that to you!"

Simon didn't reply, just looked at the girl sitting across the large circular table from him. Whatever slight trust Isabelle had built in Clarissa earlier with their natural bonding as females had just been completely knocked out of the water.

He said the only thing he could say to stop Isabelle storming off to confront his best friend. He was glad that he could tell her this little truth after he'd so easily lied to her.

"I'm happy."

Isabelle looked at him in shock and went pale then red and started to narrow her eyes.

"What about your family?" She asked.

"They think I'm dead," He lied.

Isabelle nodded once; this was the answer the Shadowhunters could allow. He made a mental note to text his sister later and warn her not to visit. Clary didn't need anything else on her plate.

"How long have the two of you been together?" Isabelle asked.

This girl really didn't give up, did she?

"We're not together," He sighed.

Isabelle looked up at him hen and something changed in her eyes.

"Sorry," She said hastily. "I just assumed-"

Simon waved the apology away, "It's fine, we get it all the time. We've known each other our whole live, we're best friends."

"But you want to be more." She wasn't asking.

Simon shrugged. He knew he wasn't right for Clary, but that didn't stop how he felt.

The alarm on Simon's watch screeched and Simon stood and turned it off. Isabelle quickly followed as he walked down the hallway.

"Where are we going?"

He looked at her with a grin on his lips, "If there's one thing Clary got from her father, it was his experimental side."

* * *

Jace looked at the various portraits of him and then back at the artist. She was watching him intently. As if he were an animal with which she was struggling to decide if it was safe to approach.

"So," His was surprised to find his voice wasn't shaking. "You've found me."

"Indeed I have." She didn't smile, just continued to look into his eyes.

"And what now?" Jace stared straight back at her.

"Now," She said slowly. "We work together."

Jace let out a deep breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"You're an artist?" Alec broke the tense silence.

He stood in front of the various sketches of Jace and studied them closely. Clarissa took place beside him and Jace studied her just as closely.

Clarissa shrugged, "I guess I inherited it from my mother."

Something sparked in Jace's head and he could see from the set of Alec's shoulders that he was thinking the same thing too. Where was Clarissa's mother? He seemed to recall the name Jocelyn from previous lessons with Hodge. Had she trained her daughter? If not, why not? Did she know of the things her daughter had done to herself?

"Where is she?" Alec asked quietly, "Your mother."

Clarissa stiffened and bit her lip hard whilst the colour drained from her face.

"Oh, come on," Jace said. Clarissa looked over her shoulder at him with shock. "You know more than I do about my own family and yet you won't tell me anything about yours?"

Clarissa snorted, "You know my father far better than I do, Jace. My mother is – she was taken. My father has her."

Her voice was quiet and she stared at the wall as she spoke. She looked so vulnerable. Jace just wanted to hold her, but there were so many things he was still learning about this impossible girl. With what had happened earlier, that fire. He wasn't sure he should touch her before he knew more about her.

A small beep sounded on Clarissa's person and she lifted her wrist to press a button on a bright yellow watch.

"Come on," Her voice was still quiet.

She turned on her heel and walked out the door without making a sound. Jace and Alec only had to glance in each other's eyes before quickly following her.

She led them through the labyrinth of corridors that were decorated so like the Institute's until they came to a large oak door. Clarissa made no move toward the door. Jace wondered why she'd stopped, it was just a door. Clarissa held out her hand and started to trace the shapes of the flowers carved into the wood. Wherever her fingers touched the wood started to writhe and after letting her fingers grow still she pushed at the centre of a large flower. The wood moved in like a large button and a small section of the wall beside the door slid away, revealing a small panel. Jace and Alec watched in fascination as Clarissa place her small hand on the panel. Seconds later, the door swung open and they stepped into one of the most fascinating, magnificent, gruesome and terrible rooms they would ever lay eyes on.

* * *

Isabelle felt her jaw drop as she entered the room. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She'd guessed from the trouble it took to simply enter the room, it would be pretty important. But she wasn't embarrassed to say that she'd completely underestimated it.

"What yourself," Simon smirked, "You'll pick up gravel."

Isabelle closed her mouth only to open it again. She tried to speak several times but couldn't manage to get any words out.

It was like one of those spy movies, where you had to pass a high tech door to enter the room, but better. When Simon had first stood facing the door, Isabelle had grown impatient and stepped around him. She'd twisted the knob and swung the door open to a room full of boxes and various junk. She'd turned back to Simon with a look of annoyance on her face and a glare glinting in her eyes, he'd looked right into her eyes with a smirk of superiority on his face. She'd wanted to slap that smirk off his face, but had stepped away from the frame and closed the door behind her. Simon had resumed to wait in front of the door then traced a pattern on the doors carvings, eventually pushing a small section of the door in a few millimetres. Simon had placed his hand on a panel and the door had opened to reveal a room you could study for a lifetime and yet never see everything it held.

"What-" Isabelle choked.

"This is where the magic takes place," Simon grinned, stretching his arms out wide.

Isabelle shot him a question and he glanced back at her.

"Not actual magic," He corrected himself. He turned away from her and added under his breath, "But on occasion . . ."

"Wait a minute! You-" Isabelle started to accuse him but was cut off when she had to quickly follow him into the midst of the room.

The room itself was the biggest she'd ever seen, filled with various machinery, jars strange contents, blueprints and things Isabelle couldn't even name.

Simon stopped in front of a large panel of switches and levers. Simon pushed up a large lever and the ceiling above a white marble bird bath opened. The moonlight lit up the small space and Isabelle felt Simon's silent caution to stay away from the bath. She noticed how dark the room was against the moonlight and realised Simon hadn't turned any lights on when they'd entered.

Isabelle continued to study the room until she heard a voice from a little distance away.

"Simon?" Clarissa called.

"Back here!" Simon answered.

Guided by the moonlight, Clarissa finally emerged beside Simon with Alec and Jace in quick pursuit. They made their way over to Isabelle whilst Clarissa talked quietly with Simon.

"Do you know what's going on?" Alec asked her quietly.

Isabelle sighed, "Your guess is as good as mine."

They watched Clarissa and Simon silently but did not converse themselves; there would be plenty of time for that later.

A small red light on the panel Isabelle hadn't noticed before suddenly turned green, everyone else seemed to have noticed it too. Simon looked at Clarissa, looking slightly pale, who nodded. Simon reached below the panel to retrieve a box, opening it quickly, he withdrew a magnificent dagger. With intricate engravings and embedded jewels, it would have cost a fortune. Isabelle watched silently as Clarissa took the dagger from Simon and stepped into the moonlight towards the bird bath.

Clarissa lifted her wrist over the bath and with quick precision cut from her wrist to her elbow. Isabelle hadn't noticed the white liquid in the bath as it was nearly the same shade as the marble, but she watched as Clarissa's red blood dropped into the cloudy liquid. She noticed that both Simon and Jace went slightly rigid when she did this. Simon was a vampire; of course he was having to control himself around the blood. But Jace? What was that about?

Isabelle was expecting Clarissa to heal herself with a stele once the sufficient amount of blood had been drawn, but she made no move towards any of her pockets. Instead, she watched her arm bleed just as the others did. Then the wound suddenly ceased to bleed. Isabelle's brow furrowed. What was going on? She watched with fascination as the skin on Clarissa's arm pulled itself back together leaving only a red line which was quickly fading.

Isabelle let out a breath but didn't let her concentration waver. She watched closely as Clarissa lowered her hand and started to run it around the circumference of the bath, chanting as she went. The words were ancient, Isabelle guessed, probably understood and learnt by very few. Clarissa spoke quietly, but even if she had spoken louder Isabelle knew she would not have understood the words Clarissa continued to repeat.

The blood had stayed from the white liquid like oil and water. The blood now started to turn a rich gold and mixed with the liquid until a glistening bath of golden liquid was left in the basin. Clarissa fell silent and stepped away from the bath with a small smile playing on her lips.

Isabelle's mouth was dry. She was clearly going to have to rethink how she was going to treat this girl. Isabelle had decided that Clarissa Morgenstern wasn't someone to mess with, just like her father.

"It's done," Was all Clarissa said.

* * *

"You had one job," Valentine roared. "I gave you one thing to do and you couldn't even do that properly! Just tell me how useless you really are Hodge!"

Hodge trembled at his master's words and shrank in posture.

"H-he will come back my lord," Hodge couldn't stop his voice from shaking.

"Don't be ridiculous," Valentine spat. "My daughter won't make the same stupid mistakes you have."

"With all due respect my lord," Hodge said. "I have seen how the boy has changed since he came here. His emotions are wild, they are what control him."

"I know that," Valentine said coldly, "It's why I got rid of him. A soldier can't have compassion or any of the other feelings that the boy has."

"Yes," Hodge straightened his back. "But that is what will help us now. Something will shake his confidence causing him to run home and I will alert you when he does."

Valentine eyed Hodge carefully, Hodge tried to keep up an appearance. Valentine was only a projection, after all, he couldn't harm him. But this was Valentine Morgenstern – with which anything was possible.

"You'd better be right Hodge, else I'm coming there myself. If that happens, you'll be on my visit list."

Valentine's projection disappeared, leaving his threat hanging in the air. Hodge collapsed into a nearby chair and continued to shake uncontrollably with fear.


	9. Memories of the Future

**Hi there guys, **

** I'm sorry it's been so long, but it's hectic at the moment. Just to warn you that I might not be able to update often as I'm now starting my GCSEs. Thank you so much for your patience and I apologise in advance for any errors ahead, I really wanted to get something out for you so I didn't check it thoroughly. Hope you enjoy, please leave comments, I'm going to try and reply as often as I can from now on!**

* * *

"Angel blood," the words left Jace's mouth in a breath of wonder.

Clarissa looked at him and shrugged, "Not quite, but close enough."

"What exactly," Alec crossed his arms, "Are you planning to do with that?"

Clarissa studied Alec for a moment, "Nothing illegal."

Jace watched Alec raise an eyebrow and knew he didn't believe her. Apparently, Clarissa knew it too.

"What I'm going to do with the blood," she stated, "Has never been possible for the Clave. They don't even know anything like it exists therefore there's no law against it."

Alec opened his mouth to reply but Jace beat him there.

"I think," he said slowly, "That we should all get some rest."

Clarissa looked at him but he kept his eyes focused on Alec.

"That'd probably be best." Clarissa sighed, "You guys can go ahead if you want; I need to talk to Jace for a minute."

Neither of his siblings moved.

"I'll be fine," Jace rolled his eyes.

Simon snorted, "Hopefully."

Clarissa shot Simon a look then rubbed her hands over her face with a sigh. Jace noticed with a little shock that she looked tired.

"What I said about needing your memories," she sighed, "Isn't as simple as just asking. You could have repressed memories, ones you've forgotten. You don't know what is important and what's not."

"So what do you propose?" He asked.

There was a pause, "I'm going to need access to all of your memories."

He went tense, "All of them?"

A mischievous smile spread across Clarissa's lips, "If it makes you feel better, it goes both ways. Whilst I'm rummaging around in your head you can have a look in mine."

It was Simon's turn to shoot Clarissa a look, "You didn't say anything about that!"

"Because I knew you'd say it was a bad idea."

"It's a bad idea?" Jace turned towards Simon, arms crossed and a brow raised.

Simon tore his eyes away from Clarissa and turned to Jace with distrust clear in his eyes. Simon's eyes scanned over the Lightwoods then he looked back at Clarissa.

"You're not going to change your mind about this, are you?" His voice was stiff, his outrage clear.

Jace noticed how rigid Clarissa had gone; she was refusing to look at Simon, staring blankly at the floor. Her jaw was set as she slowly shook her head.

"I seriously hope you know what you're doing," Simon turned and stormed off.

"Did you really have to handle it like that?" Isabelle hissed at Clarissa before rushing after Simon.

They all stared after Isabelle.

Jace turned to Alec, "Any idea?"

"Not sure that I want one," he replied, looking uncomfortable.

A small bang from close by brought Jace's attention back to Clarissa. She had a large bowl in her hands and she looked rather pale. Jace had the feeling it would be best not to talk until she did.

Clarissa walked back to the bird bath and dipped the bowl in. Once it seemed she'd decided she had a sufficient amount of the golden liquid, she gestured for them to follow her. Jace didn't hesitate.

It wasn't long before they came to another small clearing. He noticed Clarissa was walking awkwardly and glanced down at the floor to find carvings. He stopped in his tracks, not sure where he could and shouldn't stand. He held his arm out for Alec to stop too.

The carving was one line twisting and curving to make various shapes and symbols. None of the runes were ones Jace knew and they all connected in a large spiral. There was a small circle in the middle without any markings. Clarissa made her way there and gestured for Jace to do the same.

He was about to step forward when Alec grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What are you doing?" Alec hissed.

"Alec," Clarissa's voice was quiet from the centre of the spiral. She didn't look at them, "Do you really think I'd be standing here with him, if I knew there was even the slightest chance that either of us could get harmed." She turned her eyes to Alec, "It's safe."

Jace felt Alec's fingers loosen ever so slightly and took the opportunity. Ripping his arm out of Alec's grasp he made his way towards Clarissa, taking care not to step on any of the carvings.

Now facing Clarissa, he noticed once again how small she was, she didn't even come up to his shoulders. He looked into her green eyes as she spoke.

"You'll get used to the sensation after a few seconds. If there's anything you really don't want me to see just . . . shut the door on me. I won't be able to see it if you shut me out but if it's about Valentine I'm going to need to see all of it."

"Any memories you don't want me seeing?" He teased.

She didn't answer, just bet down and poured the golden liquid into the end of the carving. He watched as the liquid raced along. When the liquid became level with the floor he heard the bowl clattering to the ground. He turned his head back to watch Clarissa as she struck a match to ignite the fluid.

As the flames began to lick the curves on the floor she stood and took Jace's hands. They were slightly sweaty and very small in his. She closed her eyes and he did the same, his last sight of her surrounded by flames as vibrant as her hair.

He felt the wrongness everywhere inside him. Like his mind was no longer his, he saw what she was seeing, old memories of his childhood with Valentine. He quickly thought back to some experiences with a few girls he didn't want her seeing. He locked those doors and threw away the key. She was right; he was used to the sensation already. It was like another person wandering along inside his mind, opening and closing doors to old memories he'd long forgotten.

Ready to find out what he could about Clarissa, he imagined himself in her head. He found himself in a long, bright corridor with countless doors leading off. Where did he start?

The first thing that popped into his head, unbelievably, was what's-his-face-vampire-boy. With that thought he found himself in front of a pure white door. His hand slightly shaking, he pushed the door open to an room of carnage.

Clarissa's Shadowhunter gear fitted perfectly to her small body. She faced Simon, who was looking sheepish but determined. Jace could sense that something was different; Simon was a mundane.

"How could you have been so stupid!?" Clarissa yelled. "You could have been killed, or worse!"

"I don't think there's much worse than death, Clare Bear," Simon tried a small smile.

"Oh, there's much worse," Clarissa seethed.

It was a few moments before either of them talked again.

"Why," Simon whispered, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to get hurt! Besides, it's against the law for you to know, anyway."

"That being said," a male voice came from the shadows, "It still is against the law."

Jace turned to see a clan of vampires, then realised where he was. This was the Hotel Dumort.

"Keep out of this, Raphael," Clarissa snarled, brandishing a seraph blade.

Raphael, he'd heard that name before.

"So change me!" Simon said, "Make me into one of you!"

"It doesn't work like that!" Clarissa gritted her teeth.

"But for vampires it does," Raphael smirked. "Think about it, my boy, the possibilities-"

"Shut up!" Clarissa snapped before standing between Simon and the leech.

"He's in our territory of his own accord," Raphael was calm. "_You _little Shadowhunter are trespassing." He turned to Simon, "You could stay with your friend, without the fear of getting hurt, you could stay with her forever. You could live in _her_ world."

"Simon, don't listen." There were tears in Clarissa's eyes, "It's not that simple."

"Oh, but it is, isn't it Clarissa?" Raphael's grin was wicked.

"Can_ you_ change me?" Clarissa went visibly stiff at the sound of Simon's voice.

Raphael held out a hand and Simon began to step around Clarissa.

"Simon, please," the tears ran down Clarissa's cheeks. Her teeth were gritted, "Please."

"I don't want to live in a world that's not yours, Clary." Simon pleaded, "I don't want to get left behind."

Jace could see the resistance leaving Clarissa's body as she sheathed her dagger. She gave a shaky nod before Simon hugged her and they silently followed Raphael into the darkness, hand in hand.

He felt himself go numb. He'd never seen anything like it. She'd let him see it too, she'd given him complete access to it. Who had trained such a warrior? A door appeared, he didn't hesitate to step through the threshold.

"Remind me again why it is Mum won't train me?" Clarissa swung the sword with deadly precision for someone her size.

"Because she doesn't want you involved in our world," a man said, a safe distance from the whistling blade.

"But," she continued to swing her sword about her, "You're willing to go against her on that."

"I think that you should have some training about you for your own protection."

Clarissa stopped to face him, "What you're teaching me is way beyond just protecting myself."

So whoever that had been, had probably known Clarissa's mother. Shortly after coming to this conclusion he remembered her saying that Valentine had taken Jocelyn. Another door appeared before him but he decided against opening it. Deciding instead that he wanted to know how it was that Clarissa had decided she needed to find him. Once again, a door appeared.

She was sitting in her room, a sketchpad resting on her knees as her pencil raced across the paper. Jace took a step closer to see the sketch over her shoulder. He'd seen it before, amongst all the other sketches in that room.

"That makes number five today," a voice sounded from behind them.

Both Clarissa and Jace turned to see Simon leaning on the door frame.

Clarissa slammed the book shut, "I know."

"What do you think his significance is?"

"Nothing, I hope."

"If your Dad's had a hand in his upbringing then he's far beyond helping. You learnt that the hard way the first time." Simon's gaze was steady on Clarissa.

What was all this about? What had she learnt?

No quicker had he thought the question than there was a door before him; but he didn't get a chance to open it.

A jolt from Clarissa told him that they were almost done. He knew they only had to release hands to break the hold, but he could feel something happening in his core. He felt pressure on his hands and realised that Clarissa must have been feeling it too. Suddenly she was beside him; they shared a bewildered glance and waited as wisps of golden light encompassed them.

The beautiful forms floated for mere seconds before there was a scene laid out before them. It was like it had been after opening a door, but Jace knew this scene was from neither his nor Clarissa's memories.

They passed in quick flashes, but it felt like they lasted for hours. Each scene was different from the next, but there was one thing in common. It was always Clarissa and himself, never anyone else.

First they were sitting on a park bench late at night; his arm curled around her as she nestled into him. He didn't have time to take anything else in before the next scenes were in place.

The two of them side by side, a ferocious battle surrounding them, demons falling all around them as they covered each other's backs. Laughing in a large lake, nothing but nature surrounding them. Surrounded by towers of open books in the library. Kissing passionately in a dark alley.

Then there was a longer scene, it took Jace a while to make out his own form curled over something in a darkened room. There were sounds of a battle above, but the sounds of sobbing filled the room. Jace hadn't cried since the falcon, now he watched the tears spill from his own eyes as he pulled Clarissa's dying form to him.


End file.
